This article outlines the contributions of multicultural counseling to 3 areas of counselor competence with lesbian, gay male, and bisexual male and female (LGB) clients: conceptualization of competence, counselor education, and assessment of counselor competence. The authors describe the foundations of multicultural counseling and extend the concepts to counselor competence with LGB clients.Este articulo resume las contribuciones de la consejeria multicultural a tres campos de habilidad consejera con clientes homosexuales y hombres y mujeres bisexuales: la conceptualizacion de la competencia, educacion del consejero, y evaluacion de competencia para consejeria. Los autores describen 10s fundamentos de la consejeria multicultural y extienden estos conceptos a la competencia consejera con clientes homosexuales, lesbianas, y bisexuales. M ulticultural counseling and lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) counseling have developed fairly independently from each other and are, at times, pitted against each other in a battle for inclusion in counselor education curricula. Rather than ignore or antagonize each other, multicultural and LGB counseling can learn from each other, strengthening each field and building a more comprehensive vision of counselor competence with diverse clients. In particular, the foundation of multicultural counseling can be extended to provide a framework for counselor competence with LGB clients.

Lesbian women of color may seek professional help to find their way through the challenges of being a triple minority. The authors discuss specific issues faced by African American, Asian American, Latina American, and Native American lesbian women, offering guidelines for affirmative practice when working with these women in a counseling context. Mujeres lesbianas de color pueden buscar ayuda profesional para poder navegar los desafíos de estar en una triple minoría. Los autores describen problemas específicos que enfrentan mujeres afro‐americanas, asiático‐americanas, latinoamericanas, e indígenas lesbianas, y ofrecen gufas para prácticas afirmativas cuando se trabaja con estas mujeres en un contexto de consejería.

This study surveyed addictions counselors to determine factors that predict affirmative attitudes and behaviors with all clients and with gay, lesbian, and bisexual clients (GLB) in particular. Three factors were predictive with regard to all clients, and 5 factors were predictive with regard to GLB clients. Nonheterosexist organizational climate was the only factor predictive in both situations. The implications of these results are discussed with regard to practice, research, and training.

This study explores minority stress among lesbian and bisexual women by examining the relationship of sexist and heterosexist events, self-concealment, and self-monitoring to positive psychological well being. The sample was made up of 373 lesbian and bisexual women, including 77 women of color. Results of a multiple regression analysis of the total sample indicated that, considered simultaneously, self-concealment and self-monitoring explained significant variance in positive psychological well being, while sexist and heterosexist events, though present, were not significantly related to positive psychological well being. Results were similar for the women of color alone. This research provides evidence for the resiliency of lesbian and bisexual women and offers some applicable concepts (e.g., self-concealment and self-monitoring) to consider in research and practice with lesbian and bisexual female clients.

This study examined the extent to which lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients perceived their addiction counselors and treatment programs to be sensitive to issues related to sexual orientation. The experiences they considered most successful were reported as more affirmative than experiences they considered least successful; however, in neither situation were counselors or treatment programs consistently affirmative.